WeGovNow working to improve Southwark’s streets

On November 30, Southwark Highways staff and representatives from the WeGovNow team were out on London streets – meeting residents of Harper Road and finding out their views on proposed street improvements.

The Highways team has been working with residents of Harper Road for the past couple of years, looking at ways to improve their street and reduce the dominance of motor vehicle traffic. This year, local citizens were presented with a range of possible improvements – such as new pedestrian crossings, new benches for people to rest and even hopscotch games for younger residents. The WeGovNow platform has proven to be a perfect means for the municipality to get to know citizens’ views, informing the local administration about the options they like and if there is something that has yet not been thought of. The online consultation run via WeGovNow Community Maps has already attracted dozens of comments. To round off the consultation and to get into a direct dialogue with citizens, a street stall with a complementary coffee cart was set up on Harper Road, inviting passers-by to join for a welcome hot drink and a chat about the possible improvements. It was brilliant to see the enthusiasm of so many local people, and all the great ideas that were added to the WeGovNow platform, all aimed at making Harper Road a place for citizens.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 693514.